The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has agreed an equal pay deal that will see the women’s and men’s senior teams paid the same.
The men’s team has taken a 25% pay cut so that the women’s pay can be increased by 25% meaning the players will be paid equally for representing their country. The teams released a joint statement saying “Together Stronger has been the mantra across the Cymru national teams for us all, both on and off the pitch as we look to put Wales on the world stage. As part of the FAW's strive towards equality, we are now proud to announce that together, our men's and women's teams have agreed to an equal pay structure for future international matches. We hope that this will allow future generations of boys and girls to see that there is equality across Welsh international football, which is important for society as a whole.”
Wales manager Emma Grainger said “I am really happy about the equal pay, it is about equality. We want our players to embody Together Stronger, the collaboration with the men's team is something we want to continue. Hopefully that collaboration will continue to grow. Equality and making sure what we have here is equal is so important to us. The women's game is growing and will continue to grow.”
Wales join other nations such as USA, England, Brazil, Norway and Australia in introducing equal pay whilst the Scotland women’s team are taking legal action against the SFA over pay and working conditions.